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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-41146

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of PDF-XChange Editor. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of U3D files. Crafted data in a U3D file can trigger a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18284.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDF-XChangeEditor's U3D (Universal 3D) file parser. The specific flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer when parsing crafted U3D data within PDF files. While the primary impact is information disclosure, the advisory notes this can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution in the current process context.

MitigationUpdate PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version; avoid opening untrusted PDF or U3D files from unknown sources as user interaction is required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:< 9.5.366.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Check the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed software and versions.
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor appears in the installed programs list.
  2. Determine the installed version of PDF-XChange Editor
    In the Programs and Features list, locate PDF-XChange Editor and note the version column. Alternatively, right-click the PDF-XChange Editor shortcut, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the product version.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 9.5.366.0.
  3. Verify the U3D parser module is present
    Check for the presence of PDF-XChange Editor's executable and core DLL files in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\). The application must be installed and functional for U3D parsing to occur.
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed and the application can open PDF files.
  4. Confirm the vulnerability applies only when processing U3D content
    The vulnerability triggers specifically when opening a PDF file that contains embedded U3D (Universal 3D) objects. To check if a specific PDF contains U3D content, open the PDF in PDF-XChange Editor and navigate to the affected page, or use a PDF analysis tool to search for stream objects containing '/U3D' dictionary entries.
    Affected if A PDF file containing embedded U3D data is opened in the vulnerable version of PDF-XChange Editor.

A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later is not installed AND a malicious PDF containing crafted U3D data is opened.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later
Fixed in 9.5.366.0
Interim mitigation

Update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version; avoid opening untrusted PDF or U3D files from unknown sources as user interaction is required.

Recommended fix High confidence

PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 or later

  1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
  2. Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor (version 9.5.366.0 or later)
  3. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
  4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade the software
  5. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About PDF-XChange Editor

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Xchange Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,330
Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-41146 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data